Who Are The Masons?
The Oxford Lodge No. 175 of Free & Accepted Masons is comprised of Masons or Freemasons of the oldest philanthropic, community-oriented fraternal organization in the world. Masonry is not a religion, but its members must express belief in a Supreme Being, and each Mason is encouraged to practice the religion of his choice.
What's Masonry?
Masonry (or Freemasonry) stresses building of character, knowledge, patriotism, brotherhood, family involvement and community service among its members.
No one knows just how old it is because the actual origins have been lost in time. Probably, it arose from the guilds of stonemasons who built the castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages. Possibly, they were influenced by the Knights Templar, a group of Christian warrior monks formed in 1118 to help protect pilgrims making trips to the Holy Land.
Masons are organized into Lodges, the leader of which is called the Worshipful Master. The term is one of respect and has nothing whatsoever to do with 'worshipping' of an individual. It is an ancient word usage with a meaning similar to the honorific "Your Honor". Use of the word 'worshipful' continues today in titles such as "The Worshipful Lord Mayor of Dublin" - who is not worshipped in the traditional sense nor is he necessarily a secular Lord - and is certainly not a Lord in a religious sense by anyone's stretch of the imagination.
Each Lodge in New York is part of The Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of New York State. There is no national Grand Lodge.
